Joint Business Planning IS NOT Commercial Excellence

Joint Business Planning (JBP) is highly visible, structured, and central to supplier-retailer collaboration. However, while JBP is an important component of the broader commercial toolkit, it is not synonymous with Commercial Excellence. Viewing it as such risks oversimplifying what it truly takes to succeed in a competitive and fast-changing marketplace.

The Role of Joint Business Planning: “The What”

At its core, Joint Business Planning is about aligning commercial partners to drive shared growth. It typically includes data analysis, target setting, and tactical planning. As part of a broader Route to Shopper® approach, JBP helps define what a business intends to do:

• What categories or brands to prioritize
• What activation strategies to deploy
• What investment and support are needed

This structured approach brings clarity and focus. However, it addresses only one part of the Commercial Excellence equation. Knowing what to do does not ensure the organization is ready or equipped to do it well.

The Missing Link: “The Why”

What often separates high-performing commercial organizations from the rest is a clearly articulated and shared intent behind their actions.

This is where Intentonomics® becomes essential. As a structured framework for aligning teams around purposeful decision-making, it provides the why behind strategies such as JBP.

Using principles like Opportunity, Relevance, Belief, Intent, and Trust (O.R.B.I.T.), Intentonomics® helps ensure that commercial plans resonate with internal stakeholders. When the why is clear, plans are more likely to be implemented with conviction. Without this layer of intent, JBP risks becoming a procedural task rather than a driver of growth.

Bridging Strategy and Action: “The How”

Even the most well-aligned plans require a structured approach to delivery. This is often where change breaks down—not due to poor strategy, but because of weak implementation.

PIFFLE®, a methodology designed to support capability building and change adoption, addresses this challenge. Representing Purpose, Intent, Fun, Formulation, Launch, and Evaluation, PIFFLE® provides a systematic way to translate commercial plans into practical behaviors and business routines.

This how is critical. Without it, even the best strategies remain confined to presentation decks and planning documents.

Commercial Excellence as a Capability System

Commercial Excellence is not a single initiative or process. It is a capability system.

This system depends on the integration of:

• Strategic clarity through Route to Shopper^® (The What)
• Purposeful alignment through Intentonomics^® (The Why)
• Effective execution through PIFFLE^® (The How)

Recognizing this combination is essential for companies seeking to embed Commercial Excellence in a lasting and impactful way. It shifts the focus from isolated tools like JBP to a more connected, long-term approach to capability building.

 

Commercial Excellence Capability as a Service (CECaaS)

Joint Business Planning remains a valuable tool. However, it should be viewed within the context of a broader capability system. It is one part of what is required to build true Commercial Excellence.

Organizations that perform consistently are those that link clear strategic choices with deep internal alignment and disciplined execution. The conversation about Commercial Excellence must move beyond templates and meetings toward a more complete view of capability development.

To explore how this integrated approach works in practice, Commercial Excellence Academy by Asbiverse Group’s Commercial Excellence Capability as a Service (CECaaS) brings these elements together to support sustainable growth in the consumer goods and retail industries.

🚀 At Asbiverse Group, our Commercial Excellence Academy delivers this through CECaaS (Commercial Excellence Capability as a Service) — helping organizations build capability for long-term, sustainable growth.

📩 Contact: info@commercialexcellence.academy

👉 More details on CECaaS including Route to Shopper® Strategic Positioning Documents for more than 40 industries/categories can be viewed here: https://commercialexcellence.academy/cecaas